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DAY

Martin St-Louis quickly summarized the situation after the loss against the Ottawa Senators.

< p>“What interests me above all is our next match. We are going to take the plane on Sunday for California, we will take advantage of a few days to familiarize ourselves with the jet lag.”

The deadline to complete the possible transfers at the level of the workforce does not seem to worry him. Perhaps he knew that Evgenii Dadonov would not be on the trip. The Dallas Stars acquired him yesterday in return for Denis Gurianov, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. His deal with the Stars was $2.9 million for the season. So far, he has scored… uh, two goals.

Saturday night, after seeing his team allow three goals in the third period, he could have expressed some concern, or even more, he could have shown some discontent. Not at all.

“I think we played a good game. OK, in third, it did not work as we would have liked, but we are learning. We grow. We see an improvement. »

No one will doubt that the development plan is yielding interesting results. No doubt the decision makers did not believe that the young players were going to pass the stages with so many good results that the evaluation of the skaters has undergone several changes over the past few months.

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The ideal trainer?

And St-Louis is the perfect coach to teach, to deal well with adversity and to instill this culture that is so important to decision-makers and fans.

This team is going to have some bad nights, but she rarely gives up. Enough to satisfy the organization's decision-makers.

However, do not believe that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes will not have their eyes open in the coming days. They are two experienced men. Gurianov for Dadonov, the Canadian will not win from a financial point of view this season, but next year it will be completely different.

When Gorton announced his recovery plan to give the New York Rangers a new identity, he delivered. He did a lot of cleaning, several veterans changed addresses. When Kent Hughes talks about salary cap flexibility, he has a clear plan. His experience as a player advisor serves him well.

Of course, he was forced to modify the basics of his management plan due to the continued presence of several players in the infirmary.

On the other hand, until now, he has always been able to adjust to events.

Does he really have a choice? Normally, at this time of year, a few days before the deadline of March 3, Sean Monahan was to evolve under the banner of another formation.

In the case of Joel Edmundson, he still remains the plan of last resort for the Edmonton Oilers, who allowed the Columbus Blue Jackets six goals on Saturday. And that may explain why he accompanied the team to California. Will he play in San Jose? Or in Los Angeles?

Gorton and Hughes will listen to offers that may impact the company's development program. Gorton was quick to take action with the Rangers. Hughes hasn't been shy about surprising his counterparts since his arrival in Montreal.

The two men will never refuse to extend discussions with some of their counterparts if it is believed that there is a way to make a good deal. As was the case with the Dallas Stars yesterday.

We like them

In other words, we like David Savard, but it is not immune to change. Neither did Josh Anderson. No more than Christian Dvorak and Jake Allen.

And, in this regard, we know very well that Jonathan Drouin is finishing his six-year pact, and we will see in the case of Gurianov what the plans of the organization are. On the other hand, it would be surprising to see Monahan in training camp next year if we cannot manage to trade him.

Mike Hoffman benefits from the immunity that Marc Bergevin granted him, but there is always the possibility of buying out his agreement, although this policy does not please Kent Hughes at all.

The philosophy of the Canadiens' decision makers has not changed. Achieve goals in a timely manner…or if the opportunity arises, sooner than expected.

By Friday, should we expect unexpected transfers? Anything is possible.

Fierce competition

In the Western Conference, it will be a decisive battle between several formations, not only for the three top positions in each of the two divisions, but also to obtain an entry ticket to the spring tournament.

Gorton and Hughes will surely find, if the occasion arises, the arguments to provoke the temerity of some of their counterparts having to react under pressure. The list of passengers who flew yesterday could be different. Who knows?

Dadonov has already been replaced by Gurianov. 

Kingsbury among the greats < /h3>

Mikael Kingsbury's track record is not only impressive, but it shows to what extent the athlete from Deux-Montagnes belongs to a very special class.

That of athletes who have dominated their sport, which allowed their discipline to grow in excellence.

What we finally said yesterday after Kingsbury's extraordinary performance is that he is joining the greats of the sports world. His track record can be compared in terms of performance, results, exploits sometimes resembling science fiction to all those who have written the history of their discipline.

We now recognize that he has made as much for his sport as Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Tom Brady, underlined a press agency. His track record confirms beyond any doubt that he holds a place among the greats on the international scene.

When you dominate your sport as Kingsbury has done since entering the international scene, it is that the game of comparisons no longer holds. He is one of the great athletes in history, those who have marked their sport to the point of becoming THE reference.

Bravo!